Israeli Public Security Minister, Gideon Ezra, claimed on Monday that Palestinian resistance factions succeeded in smuggling anti-aircraft missiles into the Gaza Strip.
Reiterating statistics released by the Shin Bet security services on what was described as "terrorist activities" in 2005; Ezra claimed that Palestinian resistance in the Strip managed to posses over 300 anti-tank missiles.
Speaking to Israel Radio, Ezra warned that the smuggling of weapons could result in tighter restrictions on Palestinians.
"It is clear that in light of the trickling in of explosives from Egypt into the Gaza area shortly after the disengagement the passage of people from Gaza to the West Bank will have to come under stricter surveillance", Ezra stated, "Israel’s prime security concerns are with suicide bombers who keep striving to carry out attacks inside Israel"..
According to The Shin Bet’s statistics on Palestinian resistance attacks against Israeli targets in 2005, the number of attacks has significantly dropped when compared to the last four and a half years. The main reason behind the sharp decline is the calm declared by the Palestinian factions last March in Cairo.
Five suicide bombings were carried out this year in Israel; two in Netanya, one in Hadera, one in Tel Aviv and one, with no fatalities, in Be’er Sheva – compared to only two in 2004. The number of fatalities resulting from these attacks has raised a little, from 14 to 21.
These attacks were carried out in response to the extra juridical killing policy Israel is conducting and arrests against Palestinian resistance fighters during 2005.
